Smashing Pumpkins - Tonight, Tonight
Music Video
| 1996
| Artist | Smashing Pumpkins |
| Song | Tonight, Tonight |
| Album | Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness |
| Director | Jonathan Dayton |
| Director | Valerie Faris |
| Genre | Rock |
| Genre | Alternative Rock |
| Intro | No |
| Outro | No |
| Notes | Jonathan Dayton: _I think this video is probably the most derivative video that we've done, in the sense that it really is about a very particular film style that was pioneered by George Melies. It was all shot on a 70-year-old, hand-cranked camera, and we did lots of tests for that, finding the right camera and the right speed. But we shot the video the way Melies shot his films -- it was done all on stage. The main set pieces were all full scale: the giant octopus, the giant moonscape._; Valerie Faris: _Almost hasn't been done since him. I think that's why we've always loved his films and felt like it was such a cool technique: Why not do it now? We would design a whole set around one camera angle, because all the sets are two dimensional. So if you move the camera one foot to the right, you could see off the set. But some of those set pieces had blue screen elements. Like when the couple are riding on the rocket, they are shot against blue screen. But for the most part, it was like doing a theater production, old style._ |
| Production time | 2 Days |
| Sound Mix | Stereo |
| Talent | Tom Kenny (Unknown) |
| Talent | Declan Quinn (Unknown) |
| Technical Specifications | colour - format unknown |
| Release date |
Wiki
Synopsis
A Victorian-era crowd gathers to watch an airship launch, carrying a young couple on a fantastical journey into the heavens. The vessel passes through clouds, encounters a giant moon with a human face, and drifts into a dreamlike cosmos while the Smashing Pumpkins perform in period costume. After the couple leaves the ship and descends toward the moon beneath umbrellas, the adventure unfolds like a hand-crafted silent-film fantasy, balancing romance, peril, and childlike wonder.
Factoids & Trivia
- The video is a loving homage to Georges Melies' 1902 silent film "A Trip to the Moon," recreating its theatrical staging, painted backdrops, fantastical creatures, and trick-film effects.
- The production used a roughly 70-year-old hand-cranked camera to imitate the visual texture and movement of early silent cinema.
- Many of the sets were deliberately two-dimensional, like stage scenery. Several large pieces, including the moonscape and giant octopus, were built at full scale, while blue-screen work was used for shots such as the couple riding the rocket.
- Artist Wayne White created much of the video's painted scenery and puppetwork, helping give the production its storybook, theater-set appearance.
- The original concept was a Busby Berkeley-style musical number involving people diving into champagne glasses. That idea was abandoned after the Red Hot Chili Peppers released "Aeroplane," which used a strikingly similar approach.
- Period costumes were difficult to obtain because "Titanic" was being filmed in Los Angeles at the same time and had rented much of the available turn-of-the-century wardrobe and props. The remaining clothing was altered and embellished for the video.
- The central couple was played by real-life spouses Tom Kenny and Jill Talley. Kenny later became widely known as the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants, while Talley voiced Karen Plankton.
- The band members appear in Victorian-era clothing and are shown playing unusual period-style instruments, including a Gibson harp guitar and an instrument resembling a Gibson mandobass.
- The video won six awards at the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards, including Video of the Year, Breakthrough Video, Best Special Effects, Best Art Direction, and Best Cinematography.
- The production took several weeks of preparation, followed by a three-day shoot and additional post-production work. Its reported budget was approximately $400,000.
